Macquarie Island research station celebrates its 70th anniversary this week, as work gets underway to build a new station on the shores of the rugged Tasmanian outpost.
The sub-Antarctic station was officially opened on 21 March 1948, with a team of 14 expeditioners staying for winter.
Prior to the station’s establishment, Macquarie Island was home to sealing gangs who harvested skins, oil and blubber, until the Island was declared a sanctuary by the Tasmanian Government in 1919.
Unfortunately the sealers and other visitors brought pests to the island, in the form of rabbits, rats and mice. These were successfully eradicated in 2014 after a seven year pest eradication program.
The new station is expected to be finished in 2021–22, with the decommissioning of the existing station to follow.
In 2016, the Australian Government announced it would spend $50 million to build a new state-of-the-art research station on Macquarie Island.
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